Our Belly proves we’re not Gods this Holiday Season

This is the season to be jolly, and the last thing I want to do is spoil the holiday festivities. But, unfortunately, the office parties, family dinners, excess wine and fellowship of singing “Auld Lang Syne, all take a toll on one’s stomach. So, can you lessen the damage of hot fire beneath the breastbone? And what are the pitfalls in the treatment of this common discomfort? Heartburn is triggered by several factors. The lower esophageal muscle (LEM) at the end of the food pipe can become weak and inefficient at times. So if you “eat the whole thing”, excess gas is created in the stomach and the laws of physics say something has to give. This results in the LEM opening, and gas, along with the stomach’s acidic juice, flows into the esophagus causing inflammation. The Gifford-Jones Law states “one bad problem leads to another and another.” So if this scenario is repeated over and over, chronic inflammation can end in a condition called Barrett’s Esophagus. This can turn into esophageal cancer in one of every 200 cases. A big price to pay for gluttony.